The present invention is directed to lighting assemblies, and in particular to a lighting assembly system that is highly configurable using standardized, easy-to-assemble and maintain components.
Indirect or “wash” lighting systems are used for a vast array of indoor and outdoor applications today. These applications include the use of such lighting systems on corporate and commercial aircraft, as well as on luxury yachts and watercraft. In these environments, the wash lighting system is a critical component of the entertainment and control systems of the craft. An ideal wash lighting system in such environments would be capable of different settings depending upon the section of the cabin or cabins and the mood or activity of the occupants. For example, studies have shown that people prefer a brighter, bluer light with which to read, while a softer, redder light is preferred at mealtimes. In addition, different light settings might be used at different times of day or in different areas of the cabins of such craft, depending upon the particular application.
Existing wash lighting systems for aircraft and watercraft are based on incandescent or, more commonly, fluorescent light sources. Fluorescent tube lights are bulky themselves, and also require bulky and heavy high-voltage ballasts in order to operate. Such lights also require extensive cabling, connectors, and wiring, particularly if the lights are to be separately controllable to achieve different lighting effects in different areas of the cabin. The bulk of the tubes, ballasts, and cabling required for fluorescent lighting occupies significant space that could otherwise be used for passenger headroom or storage, which is an especially critical issue in aircraft cabin design. In addition, fluorescent lights are difficult and costly to maintain. Fluorescent tubes, while typically exhibiting a useful life longer than that of incandescent bulbs, must still be replaced fairly frequently.
In addition, the high-voltage ballasts required for the installation of fluorescent lights produce electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) that may interfere with aircraft or watercraft communication or navigation systems. The interference produced by these devices must be carefully considered by aircraft designers, and appropriate electromagnetic shielding must be used to protect sensitive equipment. In the case of communications equipment, complete shielding may not be possible. In any event, the necessary shielding further increases the weight and space requirements, as well as the costs, associated with the use of fluorescent wash lighting systems.
There are significant limitations on the variation in light type and quality that may be achieved using fluorescent lights. A single fluorescent tube can only produce light of one color and of a very limited intensity band. Thus if different lighting effects are to be achieved in the same cabin or area, multiple tubes (and hence multiple ballasts and multiple sets of cabling, connectors, and other components) must be installed for this purpose. As a result, significant use of lighting effects is impractical in most current installations using fluorescent tube lighting designs.
Another limitation of fluorescent tube lighting systems is that a smooth light output across the lighted surface cannot be achieved. To achieve a smooth light output when multiple light sources are used, the light sources must be placed directly next to each other. For example, in order to achieve a smooth line of light with fluorescent tubes, the tubes would need to be placed directly end-to-end with each other. Due to the practical limitations of fluorescent tube design, this is not possible. Placing fluorescent tubes end-to-end would necessarily result in “dark spots” at the gap between the tube ends.
What is desired then is a lighting system that is highly configurable, allows a wide variety of lighting effects, reduces weight and space usage over existing lighting systems, is easy and inexpensive to install and maintain, can produce a smooth lighted surface when multiple light sources are employed, and is modular in form to allow many different installation configurations depending upon the application or desire of the user.